Senate Advances Call to Arm Some Syrian Rebels

A key Senate committee overwhelmingly approved legislation that calls on the U.S. to provide small arms to moderate Syrian opposition groups, underscoring growing sentiment among lawmakers for a change in the U.S. approach to the conflict.

The 15-3 vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee showed broad support from both Democrats and Republicans for arming the rebels, though the legislation has to go through many more votes to be adopted, and even then wouldn't compel the administration to provide arms. Some...